Sleep
by v2point0
Summary: TF:A. Two times with two people Skywarp has recharged with. One out of fear and one without much of a choice. WAFF, really.


Last fic for tonight. Uguu I love TFA!Skywarp. ;w;

**Title**: Sleep  
**Rated**: PG  
**Warnings**: One or two curse words, otherwise it'd be a simple G.  
**Pairings**: None, really, but that depends if you're wearing your slash colored goggles. Then it could be Starscream/Skywarp and Thundercracker/Skywarp. Otherwise, it could just be brotherly love aww.  
**Summary**: TF:A 'verse. Two times with two people Skywarp has recharged with. One out of fear and one without much of a choice. WAFF, really.  
**A/N**: These guys ain't mine. Nothing is, boo.

Flames go to CrowTChickATaolDOTcom if you're so inclined.

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**Sleep**

By B

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**SECURITY**: Starscream & Skywarp

It had been a long, long, _long_ day for Starscream.

Harping, incompetent clones. Annoying, insufferable Autobots. That arrogant Megatron and his inept, worthless lackeys. Everything, even the Earth weather that day that made it near impossible to fly through, had been biting at his heels. Now, after nearly getting blasted to shreds, he was badly in need of recharge. A few hours of that and he'd be good as gold and hopefully, this migraine pounding at his cerebral processor would fade away.

So after dismissing himself from his army of yapping and frustrating clones, Starscream had ventured off to his own private spot on his moon base. A small clearing wedged between a small formation of dark blue moon rocks, high enough to keep him hidden from sight should there be an ambush. A mile away from all the things that had made his day utter shit.

Settling down, Starscream stretched out like a cat on his stomach (cockpit secure), wings powering down with the rest of his systems. The All Spark fragment in his forehead gave a soft glow before dimming into a state of suspended animation, allowing Starscream to shut down with ease. Closing and offlining his optics, the Seeker sighed and drifted off.

Only his beauty and comfort rest would be sorely interrupted.

Starscream hadn't detected the sound of engines running softly nearby, too deep into stasis. He didn't hear the patter of nervous shuffling feet approaching him from a yard away. It was only until he felt a pebble break off from one of the rocks and bounce off his head did one optic whirr online and open quickly. It reeled back and he growled softly at the source of the rock's sneak attack.

Skywarp had clutched the ragged rock wall tightly, breaing a bit of rubble off. When he saw Starscream was looking at him, he quickly squatted, hiding himself save the tips of his drooping purple wings. "Starscream?" he whispered. There was no reply. His wings twitched. "Starscream, are you awake?" Still no reply. A second later, he peeked a pair of nervous red optics over the rock, only to gasp and fall back when Starscream suddenly stood full height, hands balled into fists by his lean hips.

"What is the meaning of this!" Starscream barked, causing the clone to scoot back on his rear. "Waking me up from _stasis_! Fully knowing I'm under a lot of _stress_!"

Skywarp was on his knees, tucked forward with his back arched. He was visibly shaking. "For-forgive me, sir," he apologized quickly, hands pressed together, "I-I didn't want to disturb you, but-"

"But!" Starscream snarled, stretching his neck forward with one narrowed optic.

"But-" Skywarp swallowed. He hesitated to finish and Starscream was obviously losing patience, thumping his foot loudly on the ground. The purple Seeker ducked his head. "I can't... I can't recharge," he whispered lowly.

Starscream cocked an optic ridge. "Well, did you come here so I can knock you out?" he sneered. He wouldn't mind that.

Skywarp quickly shook his head. "N-No! Nothing like that!" he quickly corrected. He tapped his nervous fingers to his chin and bottom lip component. "I can recharge, but..." he paused again, optics lowering. "Everyone is off somewhere by themselves... And I'm alone and... I tried to go into stasis, but..." He felt flushed with embarrassment as he croaked out, "But... it's really kinda creepy... Recharging all alone, you see... So quiet, too quiet... Out in the open, no one there to call for help..."

Starscream did not like where this was going. "What? Are you scared?" he scowled. The clone drooped again. That was confirmation. Starscream slapped a hand to his forehead, growling low in his throat. "Of all the things-" he seethed, about ready to rip the All Spark fragment from his helm. He shifted his irritated glare back on Skywarp. "Well, what do you want me to do? What's so important that you had to wake me up because you're too much of a sparkling to recharge by yourself?"

The purple Seeker thought for a moment before a shy smile swept across his face, fingers still tapping against it. His optic ridges lowered as he whispered sheepishly, "Can I recharge with you?"

The maroon Decepticon was about ready to shoot the purple clone into deep space. He did not quite register the question, mostly because he never expected to be asked such a thing. But when it finally settled into his sleepy processors, he quickly snarled, "No!" And then ducked back behind his rocks to return to sleep.

Skywarp flinched and watched him disappear before crawling back over to the rocks. Gently he lifted himself to peer down at his grumbling, agitated leader circling his spot for a second before falling back onto his belly. The purple Seeker gazed around his surroundings. Open space, open everything, perfect for attack, perfect for an ambush. He'd have no protection, no way of knowing what was coming his way. He chewed his bottom lip component, looked to Starscream cuddled comfortably in his little fortress then back behind him. Desolate, cold, dark land...

When Starscream's grunts subsided, the clone decided to test his luck again. He was afraid of Starscream, but much more of a sneak attack while sleeping out in the open by himself. "Starscream?" he whispered again, repeating the scenario from before. Starscream had all ready drifted back to sleep. Skywarp was persistent though when it came to trying to save his paranoid ass and, boldly enough, leaned very cautiously over the towers of rocks and tapped a shaking claw to the back of Starscream's head. The maroon Seeker just made a small noise before going silent again.

"Starscream?" Skywarp continued to prod. He gave another poke, this time much harder. "Starscr-"

"Primussss!"

Starscream flipped around, grabbed Skywarp's hand and squeezed it near breaking point. Skywarp yelped properly and tried to wrench it free. "Keep bugging me and you'll find yourself with no servos!" the maroon Decepticon threatened, letting the hand go.

Skywarp pulled it back, nursing it in his good hand. He looked like he had just been slapped across the face. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I am," he apologized repeatedly, massaging his throbbing digits, "but if you could just let me recharge next to you, just for the ni-"

"No!" Starscream frothed. He sat up and shoved Skywarp back and onto his rear. Starscream towered over his rock wall and pointed at the clone's hurt faceplates. "Wake me up one more time and I'll rip your slagging spark out of your chassis!" He didn't wait for a response, just disappeared again and forced himself into stasis as his systems were flustered with fury.

Skywarp sat there for a moment, like a little lost puppy forced away from its owner. He wasn't quite sure what to do. It was just too frightening out there for him to get any proper sleep. But he supposed that as long as he was near someone, he'd be okay. So with a disappointed, reluctant sigh, Skywarp curled up against the rocks into the fetal position, wings draped over his head like shields. The clone's optics wandered for a while; while he felt slightly more secure, it was still very quiet, with tons of open, unsafe area around him.

Starscream, laid out on his belly again, onlined an optic when he heard a strange noise. It was a soft whirr combined with the quiet clanging of metal. Shivering, he knew that much and where there was shivering...

Starscream buried his face into the dirt and let his scream escape only in a frustrated hiss. He gave the ground a thump with his fist, causing the soft shivering of metal to clunk in surprised response, before sitting up and looking over his wall. Down at Skywarp, who, once realized he was being shaded by a shadow, slowly turned his head and peeked nervously up at his leader's face between the slit of his clamped wings.

"You're not going to leave, are you, you annoying glitch?" Starscream grumbled. Skywarp didn't want to say 'no,' but... His body tensed for a good loud lecture. God, Starscream just wanted to beat some bravery into this coward, but he was just too tired and could no longer find the strength to argue. Besides, he didn't need an exhausted soldier out on the battlefield. "_Fine_," the maroon Seeker hissed, shoving digits into his temples. Skywarp glanced back at him from between his wings. "You can recharge next to me. _But only for tonight_!"

Skywarp's wings fell back and he sat up, smiling slightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," he whimpered, feeling relief set in. Starscream just turned around and laid back down, this time on his back, wings tucked comfortably beneath him. Skywarp shyly crawled over the rock barrier and into the small, open space beside Starscream. He tested the ground for a second before going to slowly lay down.

Starscream gave him a little shove back. "Not so close!" he spat. Skywarp froze and kept his place. "Don't make a noise, don't talk, don't do anything," the other Seeker ordered, retracting his hand and letting it rest on his belly. After Skywarp nodded he let his head roll back and optics shut.

Maybe it was a scheme or something, if Skywarp was capable of planning out things, but Starscream, having been recharging peacefully for a good five minutes, stirred when he heard Skywarp rustle beside him then, ever so carefully, weight gently press against his side. One dim optic opened a squint to see Skywarp had crawled right up against him, spooning his side, wings pressed against his back. The coward didn't seem to be doing this on purpose, however, as his blank, sleepy face suggested he did it without him knowing.

Starscream would have pushed him back, would had scolded him, but he was much too tired. The last straw was also the last shred of his energy and he just couldn't find it in himself to flip a lid and give the clone the boot.

So, instead, with a rather reluctant sigh of acceptance, he shut his optic and went back to recharge, allowing the purple Seeker to nuzzle against his side happy and secure for the rest of the quiet, dull and extremely uneventful night.

**SURPRISE**: Thundercracker & Skywarp

A rare sight to see, but it existed.

A dust storm had started on the moon that evening, not far from the Seeker's base. A small meteoroid had hit the surface of the moon, kicking up tons of dust and creating a huge storm that threatened to knock the Seekers out of the sky should they attempt to take flight and find somewhere safer to rest. So, they had no choice but to work with it, until the dust finally settled.

It wasn't easy. Unable to fly, they had no chance to escape. Starscream and a few of his clones had taken to huddling together behind some rocks to block out some of the harshness in the winds. It was a pain, though, having to share a small space together. Sunstorm seemed to be the only one who enjoyed it, Ramjet kept telling everyone he was "most definitely comfortable and didn't desire anymore room, absolutely not," resulting in Slipstream bitching at him to just shut up and respect the little room he had, considering she had less.

No one seemed to notice nor mind that one of the clones, however, was not currently in their ranting ball of limbs and fists and threats.

Skywarp, ever since he had been activated, had gone to find his own personal space, somewhere safe and away from the chaos. Sleeping out in the open didn't sit well with him for various reasons, including lack of shelter. To create a perfect hiding space, Skywarp viciously began digging into the moon's dusty surface. It took a few hours, but he was quite fast when it came to protecting his hide.

The first day, he had dug a relatively deep hole about six feet. Then, after a week or so, it had reached nearly fifteen, creating an entrance about five feet deep that took an abrupt turn under solid ground, deep into an encased dirt hole about thirty-two feet in length and fifty in width. It was a great hiding spot, though Skywarp refused to remind himself that a cave in was still highly probable. Still, when it was time to recharge or just to get away from the others, his little hideout gave him all the space and security he needed.

The storm was both good and bad when it came to his hole. On one hand, he could get away from the high speed winds and dust, but on the other, it might clog up the only entrance and exit he had. However, Skywarp was willing to take the risk; dust was thick but he was sure he could crawl out of it with just some minor difficulties. For safety he risked activating his claustrophobia; offlining as soon as he was in his domain usually kept him from worrying about these things.

And so while the other Seekers were trying to get comfortable in their shabby shelter behind some rocks, Skywarp had crawled into his tunnel and curled up against the very back of the cave, legs pulled to his chest, arms hugging them tightly. Skywarp's weary optics watched as every once in a while a whiff of dusty wind would slither into the hole from above. If this was the worst he'd get, he'd be fine. Still, the clone was scared and found himself unable to offline without waking with a startle every time the wind howled through the hollow tunnel leading to the outside world.

Thundercracker had had enough trying to share room with the others. They didn't deserve more room than he and the clone found it extremely difficult both compromising and recharging next to such inferior beings. He had been the most hostile, shoving, pushing, snarling and threatening beatings if the others didn't give him more room or at least stay out of his.

Slipstream and Starscream went at his throat in return, Ramjet just trying to sneak in more space for himself. Sunstorm was actually deep in stasis with his body squeezed near crushing point against a rock and Slipstream's back and wings. He was content with what he had and found no need to whine. Fed up, Thundercracker finally noticed they were lacking one of their kin. The absent howls of worry and fear set Thundercracker to realize Skywarp was gone.

Thinking for a moment where that idiot would go, certainly not brave enough to sleep out in the open during this dust storm, he then remembered Skywarp's secret little base. It wasn't a secret to him, however, as he had a habit of tailing the purple clone around when he was bored and looking to plant a sneak attack on someone. Thundercracker contemplated once filling the underground cave and tunnel with dirt while Skywarp was away. He even thought about taking it for himself, but figured he didn't have use for something so primitive and crude.

Now, however, Thundercracker could see how it might come in handy. "You're all a waste of fuel to argue with," he hissed at the others and left, struggling blindly through the dusty winds.

Skywarp was just now beginning to relax. His processors had grown too tired to worry and slowly, he curled onto his side, still wrapped in the fetal position. His optics watched the mouth of the tunnel, watched soft winds dance at the entrance but do nothing more. Calmed well enough, the purple Seeker's optics slowly dimmed as they closed-

Then there came an awful, frightening noise that sent Skywarp sitting up in a jolt. He heard faint shuffling above his head before there came a roar of weight and dirt down the pathway and flooding the cave. Skywarp swished away the dirt, unable to see the entrance before a figure popped inside with a low snarl. Skywarp cried and flew back, settling only slightly when he saw it was Thundercracker wedged in the hole.

"Wh-what are you doing here!" Skywarp stammered. "How did you know-!"

"Of course I would know!" Thundercracker interrupted. With a low growl, he yanked himself free and completely inside, the grinding of his hips leaving a small shower of pebbles and dirt behind him. Grunting, he sat up, a ten or so feet away from Skywarp, wings stretching and shaking off dust. "I know everything, you dolt. You're much too obvious to keep secrets like these anyway," he stated, brushing off his chest.

Skywarp frowned. "What do you want?"

"Do I need a reason to do anything?" the blue clone snorted. He crawled along the ground closer to the terrified purple Seeker. "I've deemed this place worthy to recharge in for tonight. It's pitiful, really, but it'll do until the storm clears." He then shoved Skywarp over so he could curl up against the wall.

"But-but-"

"If you don't like it," Thundercracker hissed, looking him square in the optics, "you can leave. I'm not keen on sharing."

Skywarp shook his head. Man, and he thought he had covered all his tracks. He watched as Thundercracker stretched out on his back beside him. The blue clone then laid out a leg, foot shoved against his companion's hip. "Move down, this is my spot," he ordered fiercely.

The purple Seeker groaned and reluctantly scooted a few feet down, letting Thundercracker stretch his legs out to the fullest. "Why aren't you with the others?" he asked quietly. "I thought you all decided-"

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Thundercracker snapped, folding his arms under his head. He shut his optics. "Now, be quiet. I need my beauty stasis. Well, I don't really need it, since I'm pretty much handsome all the time, but you get the gist of it, don't you, loser?"

"Hummm," Skywarp murmured, not sure what to say. He felt offended, a little angry, but ten times more scared than anything. His gaze shifted to the windy entrance. There was room for him to lay out comfortably, but not without being close to that tunnel. He certainly didn't want to be there, covered in dust and dirt, possibly even buried alive if the cave should collapse. Well, being close to the entrance had the perk of escaping, but...

Skywarp looked over at Thundercracker. "Um..." he muttered, finger tapping to lips. "Uh..." His optics darted back and forth. Thundercracker seemed relaxed, content, sprawled out and systems softly snoring. Surely if he laid beside him, he wouldn't know... Quietly, Skywarp carefully moved to sit beside the blue Seeker's hip, legs still tucked to chest, gazing thoughtfully over the silent chassis. Not a single stir.

Even more quietly did the purple clone lay tensely with his back to Thundercracker's side, his wings pressed hard against his back, avoiding touching the other clone just barely. Still, Skywarp occasionally cast nervous glances over his shoulder to see if Thundercracker had noticed. There was only about five inches separating them, the closest Skywarp could get without feeling too frightened he'd wake the other.

Slowly but surely, Skywarp relaxed as every minute passed without Thundercracker moving or protesting for more space. Watching the hole for more mess, it was becoming almost like a lullaby and Skywarp found he couldn't keep his optics open for much longer. So, with a heavy sigh, he let his optics droop close and offline, programs resting to a soft hum as his tense body sunk against the ground.

Go figure, however, that Thundercracker would take this time to react.

However, it wasn't the reaction Skywarp had feared. Instead, it shocked him. Thundercracker did not wake to push and yell and shove Skywarp aside, but rather he rolled over and threw an arm over the purple clone's chassis, letting it drape limply across his hip and hanging wing. Skywarp's body immediately went stone hard again and his optics whirred to life brightly. He wasn't sure how he should react; gently take the hand off of him, place it back beside Thundercracker...

It only got worse. Suddenly, Thundercracker's front was pressed close against Skywarp's back, chassis melting around his. Skywarp's backbone infrastructure stiffened while the rest of his body gave a little shudder at the sudden closeness. But Thundercracker remained spooned against Skywarp's body, arm stretched over his hip and now his digits had gently scratched and twitched at the bottom of the purple clone's fuselage. It tickled and it made Skywarp release a quiet titter and small quiver. The blue clone remained recharging, however.

Skywarp felt something warm against the back of his neck and he barely turned his head to see Thundercracker had pushed the side of his own helm against his, cheek resting on his neck comfortably. Once with a little grumble, he nuzzled his head against Skywarp's then settled again, but not without giving Skywarp another thing to shiver about.

The purple Seeker felt a sense of dread bubble in his torso. If Thundercracker had any idea what he was doing right now and woke up, Skywarp knew he'd be blamed for it. And probably thrown around as well. Trying so very hard to wriggle free without waking the other clone, Skywarp craned his head forward and attempted to lift the arm curled along his side.

But to his surprise, the arm would not budge and the digits actually very firmly dug themselves into his belly. It didn't hurt, surprisingly, but it did cause Skywarp to twitch. Even worse was when Thundercracker spoke.

"Stop moving and stay still, glitch."

Skywarp's optics blazed as his cheekplates warmed up. So Thundercracker _did_ know about his current position? So then, that would imply he was cuddling and holding him... purposely. Skywarp went to say something but found himself too speechless to voice any words. Instead, he forced himself to remain still in fear Thundercracker would get upset.

Skywarp laid there, flabbergasted for a few minutes as Thundercracker held him much too tenderly to be real, sleeping contentedly. But soon, with the warmth and the gentle touches lulling him into a state of security, the initial shock finally wore off and Skywarp fell into stasis comfortably. Outside, the storm raged, but under the ground, it just softly hummed.

END


End file.
